Massachusetts South Shore Experts; Questions.

[DawnCt1]

DH and I took a drive down to the south shore of Massachusetts in search of a town to relocate to. I know its a "drive" to Cambridge, but.....
We started in Kingston, looked a perhaps three neighborhoods, found the train station, looked at the outside of some listings near the shore, and I have to say that, except for the immediate quarry area, Kingston looks like a lovely town. There is a T with ample parking and it seems to be conveniently located. From there we took 3A and drove through Duxbury, Pembroke, Marshfield, Cohasset, Scituate and Hingham. We liked all of those towns. We didn't get to see the towns of Hanover or Hanson (not sure if that's their names) or Abbington. Any comments on the southshore or towns that we didn't see that we should have, will be appreciated.

 

[jocon]

Hi Dawn,
Kingston is a lovely town. I think all the towns off of rt 3 ie Duxbury, Marshfield, Cohasset, Scituate would suite your family very well. Abington, the three Bridgewaters, Hanson and part of Hanover are not as affluent as the first set of towns you mentioned.

Cambridge/Boston is a hike from this general area, but people do it everyday. Rt 3N is going to stink from Derby Street(Hingham) right into Boston. The Commuter rail CAN be convenient but it and the parking could be a $4000+ a year expense. Also Keep in mind that the commuter rail only takes you into Boston. You would then have to take the subway into Cambridge.

Don't rule out the Pine Hills in Plymouth. It's about 10-15 minutes south from Kingston. Its a gated community with single family homes and condos. I'm an insurance agent and I've had lots of out of state clients buy homes there.

When you say "quarry" do you mean the PA Landers Plant near the mall? Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[tiggger1]

you could always move to Middleboro! I live about 5 minutes from the commuter rail and hubby said it only takes about 45-50 minutes to get to south station from here by train.

 

[AlleyKat]

Kingston looks like a lovely town. There is a T with ample parking and it seems to be conveniently located. From there we took 3A and drove through Duxbury, Pembroke, Marshfield, Cohasset, Scituate and Hingham. We liked all of those towns. We didn't get to see the towns of Hanover or Hanson (not sure if that's their names) or Abbington. Any comments on the southshore or towns that we didn't see that we should have, will be appreciated.

Kingston is a great choice, as is Abington!

 

[DawnCt1]

Hi Dawn,
Kingston is a lovely town. I think all the towns off of rt 3 ie Duxbury, Marshfield, Cohasset, Scituate would suite your family very well. Abington, the three Bridgewaters, Hanson and part of Hanover are not as affluent as the first set of towns you mentioned.

Cambridge/Boston is a hike from this general area, but people do it everyday. Rt 3N is going to stink from Derby Street(Hingham) right into Boston. The Commuter rail CAN be convenient but it and the parking could be a $4000+ a year expense. Also Keep in mind that the commuter rail only takes you into Boston. You would then have to take the subway into Cambridge.

Don't rule out the Pine Hills in Plymouth. It's about 10-15 minutes south from Kingston. Its a gated community with single family homes and condos. I'm an insurance agent and I've had lots of out of state clients buy homes there.

When you say "quarry" do you mean the PA Landers Plant near the mall? Let me know if you have any other questions.

DH doesn't have to go in every day which is a plus. I don't know the name of the thing that looks like a big sand pit with elevators etc. That must be the plant you named for me. I don't know if we would be the gated community type but I am not ruling anything out. This was our first trip to the south shore. I have seen points west, at least a few points west of Boston/Cambridge and need to explore points north and north west. I did like the south shore however better than the western parts that we looked at.

 

[mkel34]

Are you going to be buying? A 2000sq ft home in Duxbury could cost you over a million and the same house in Hanson would cost 300k. The commute from Hingham is not bad at all when comparing it to Kingston.

 

[kafitty]

yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh this is my area. and personally, i love it here! i wondered how long it would take you to consider it, when you first started posting about moving to MA.

the quarry is located in the big shopping area anyway, so it's kind of all that industrial/commercial stuff. It's not really in the middle of the residential areas. i actually love that thing, i have no idea why, i've just always had a thing for heavy machinery. (i'm weird...i know. )

i live in Plymouth but my life is in Marshfield, if that makes sense - parents are divorced and live in those two towns, and i've lived all over the place growing up. i've always loved it, the only thing i hate now is i'm wayyy down on rt. 3, practically on the Cape, and that's way too far away from Boston for me. i'm an exit down from the Pine Hills, so coming from someone who lives here, i would not consider them, although they are really really nice.

Generally speaking, the commute isn't THAT bad, especially on the trains, and if he can avoid going in at peak hours he potentially could drive in. It might be sort of expensive though, i know my exboyfriends commuter rail train pass is as expensive as his car payments. And that's not counting parking.

East Bridgewater and Bridgewater are also nice, i really liked living there when i went to Bridgewater State College. Very convenient to route 24 (highway), and rt. 18 can pretty much get you anywhere.

i *personally* would not look in Whitman, Hanson, or Halifax. Although they all do have their nice spots, they're generally, er, a little rustic...

It is kind of weird around here, because most towns have been built in stages, or are touristy places that have suddenly swelled with permanent residences. So you can literally drive down the same road and have really nice neighborhoods and really cruddy neighborhoods within the same 5 mile span - i'm sure you saw plenty of that driving up 3A.

Norwell is also nice, but kind of expensive. It's next to Hanover, which is also a fairly nice area. Duxbury is really nice too, but we call it "Deluxe-bury" for a reason.

i'm going to sub to this, so if you have any more specific questions, ask away! And i'll totally go house sleuthing for you , i love this kind of thing, hahah.

good luck with everything!

 

[DawnCt1]

These comments are all very helpful. I don't know how people pick an area, find a house a move in a month or two. I guess I suffer from paralysis by analysis. From what I have seen so far, I like the South Shore the best. Of course I have southern New Hampshire, northern Ma, and the north shore to take a look at. We have until June to sell our house, find a house and move or we will stay here. Good thing I have time.

 

[MerMom60_94]

Hi Dawn. I live in Abington. As you know, I have been following your search for a community, and as a pp said Abington is not as affluent / high end as the communities you have been looking at. It isn't a bad community - I have lived there since 1987. There are some nice neighborhoods you could look at. It is a bit of a pain in the neck to get to the highway but we do have a commuter rail. The town is made up of mainly working class people. There are some rentals /apartment complexes in town (if that matters). There is not a huge business tax base. The main businesses in town are Walmart, Target, a couple of grocery stores, and lots of small businesses (i.e. used car dealers, hairdressers, pizza restaurants,and nail salons).

Feel free to PM me if you have questions on Abington or specific neighborhoods in town. I am more than happy to help the best I can.

 

[DawnCt1]

Hi Dawn. I live in Abington. As you know, I have been following your search for a community, and as a pp said Abington is not as affluent / high end as the communities you have been looking at. It isn't a bad community - I have lived there since 1987. There are some nice neighborhoods you could look at. It is a bit of a pain in the neck to get to the highway but we do have a commuter rail. The town is made up of mainly working class people. There are some rentals /apartment complexes in town (if that matters). There is not a huge business tax base. The main businesses in town are Walmart, Target, a couple of grocery stores, and lots of small businesses (i.e. used car dealers, hairdressers, pizza restaurants,and nail salons).

Feel free to PM me if you have questions on Abington or specific neighborhoods in town. I am more than happy to help the best I can.

Thank you. Actually I am not looking for an affluent town as much as I am looking for a nice house, in a nice neighborhood with houses that do not look like they are dropped from a space ship with a small range of colors, 4 different styles and all over priced and at least a half acre of land. I don't need to mow the "lower forty". I had heard wonderful things about Hopkinton so I drove up. The houses that we could afford fit the description above. The houses that we liked were well out of our price range. I met a woman taking in her dumpster who said that she is a 'snob and wouldn't live anywhere else'. It was okay, but I didn't see that much in her neighborhood to be "snobby" about. It seems to me that the house prices in some of the towns that I saw on the South Shore seemed more in line with the prices in Ct. which is helpful to me. If we stay here, I will need to redo my 1984 kitchen and 4 bathrooms. (cabinets, faucets, counters and light fixtures), so I would expect to pay more for a house that has those things that I wouldn't have to redo. (newer), so then it is a lateral move for us.
One of the hardest things to re-access is how much "space" do we really need? Almost everyone is on the verge of launching and 3 will definitely be gone in a year. One will be finishing college. The house we have now actually has a perfect lay out. First floor master bedroom with the rest of the bedrooms upstairs. I never have to walk upstairs if I don't want to but we have a lot of space if we need it.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

To throw something different out there...I live in Milton, and it is a great town. Way more convenient than the others you mentioned, since it borders Boston and borders the highways...very diverse in terms of housing, and a great sense of community.

 

[C.Ann]

My aunt has lived in Norwell for many, many years and it's a beautiful area - inland, yet only a few minutes drive to the shore..

One of her DD's lives in Scituate - 3 blocks from the ocean.. In '78, she did have flooding and other damage from that horrific storm, but other than that she wouldn't choose to live anywhere else..

Another DD lives in Marshfield - again - inland, but just a skip and a jump to the shore..

They all love their neighborhoods and taking a jaunt up to the Boston area - either by car or by train - is no big deal for them at all.. Of course when they drive, they know all of the "back roads" and/or when to avoid traffic on the bigger highways and roads..

I think all of those areas are lovely.. Have you looked in Hull? That's another beautiful area..

Good luck in your search..

 

[liamsaunt]

My sister lives in Hingham. It is a lovely town with lots of amenities. Your husband would have the option of the commuter rail, as well as the commuter boat, if he did not want to drive in.

 

[Disney87]

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[kafitty]

errr...for the record, Marshfield is definitely NOT inland. Where there isn't ocean, there's marshes (thus: Marshfield!)...rocky beaches though (Brant ROCK, HumaROCK...yeah there's a reason for that ) and not a ton of public options/parking areas!

I live in Marshfield right on the coast and I absolutely love it. I live in a very warm neighborhood. We know our neighbors well and have a strong sense of community, security, and comfort because of our relationships with them. The commute from here isn't awful either. Route 3 is pretty tough, but manageable, but the commuter rail in Scituate is close enough to take into the city easily. I love Marshfield and assume that although I am only 22 I will never leave here. It was a wonderful place to grow up.

Apart from Marshfield, I have family in Pembroke, Hanover, Norwell, and Weymouth. They all love their towns as well and each have their own wonderful things about them. I love the South Shore so much! Good luck in deciding and don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have!

getting me to EVER FREAKIN' LEAVE is really the problem. i know i'll be back, i already know that i want to own a house in Humarock when i'm older, but it definitely wouldn't be a bad thing if i peaced out for a bit, hahahah. My dad's house is on Woodbine Rd., right next to the airport...Did you graduate in '05? You probably know my brothers and some of my bestests! i graduated in '04 but went to Sacred Heart, though my brother always jokes that i am far more popular in town than he is...and it's really not that much of a stretch.

 

[Disney87]

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